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Essential videos of 2016

49 of the 114 videos uploaded in 2016 were judged high on "words matter": the ideas are the point of the video, so reading or watching for the argument pays off — a reading guide, not a best-of list. Each entry gives the thesis (with a link to where the argument starts) and one line on why it was judged idea-dense. Back to the overview.

Main speaker: John: 27 · Hank: 20 · Hannah Hart: 1 · Rosianna Halse Rojas: 1

  • 2016-01-05 · John · Who Owns Oregon? Some Historical Context on the so-called Militia Occupation of Public Lands · US politics & society, explainer
    • John argues the militia's claim that the federal government cannot own land fails: the US Constitution and courts back federal land, and US land titles rest on land taken from the Northern Paiute, so if not federal, the refuge belongs to the tribe. (00:03:26)
    • Why it is here: An argued news explainer: dated land-history facts and a constitutional argument against the occupiers carry the video.
  • 2016-01-08 · Hank · Who Am I?! - Some thoughts on Personal Identity · Philosophy & meaning, letter vlog
    • Hank argues the self is a subjective story shaped largely by others' expectations; labels and tests are useful tools but not walls, and people keep becoming someone new, which he finds wonderful. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: An argued personal essay on identity whose claims (self as story, expectations shaping the self, tools not walls) are the substance.
  • 2016-01-22 · Hank · Why Are Vegetarians Annoying? (An Exploration of a Cultural Rift) · Philosophy & meaning, letter vlog
    • Hank concedes that vegetarians are right about meat yet keeps eating it, and argues people are annoyed by vegetarians because they work hard to live by values that clash with society's norms, a conflict he calls healthy. (00:01:27)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay on meat ethics, conformity and values; the case for vegetarianism and the explanation of the cultural rift are the content.
  • 2016-01-26 · John · Billionaires and Radical Hope: Thoughts from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland · Global development, letter vlog
    • Back from the World Economic Forum, John describes its naive ambition and elitist social order but also its real engagement with global problems, and affirms that human progress is possible though not inevitable, sustained by radical hope. (00:02:24)
    • Why it is here: A reflective trip report: the critique of Davos elitism, the documentary recommendation, the history/hope argument and a commitment to a series on global problems.
  • 2016-01-29 · Hank · Why the Word "Millennial" Makes me Cringe · Everyday life, letter vlog
    • Responding to John's article, Hank argues the label 'millennial' was imposed by older people to generalise about and belittle a diverse generation, and that the real pressures on young Americans go undiscussed while elders complain they have it too easy. (00:00:38)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay on generational labels and the pressures on young Americans, building on John's article.
  • 2016-02-02 · John · Is the Gender Pay Gap Real? · US politics & society, explainer
    • Revisiting his earlier '77 cents' claim after commenters called the wage gap a myth, John argues that the US gender pay gap is real but complex: part is direct discrimination (especially against mothers), part reflects choices, and much comes from social expectations such as women's unpaid work. (00:00:29)
    • Why it is here: A data-heavy argument on a disputed empirical question, with many figures and a clear position that the gap is real.
    • Replies to: 2014-03-18 Is the American Dream Real?
  • 2016-02-05 · Hank · Honest YouTube Talk Time · Internet & YouTube, letter vlog
    • Hank, now CEO of a roughly 30-person media company, argues that YouTube has grown crowded and professional, that the pure meritocracy of its mythology is gone and attention flows to those who already have it, likens it to the music industry, urges support for small creators via tools like Patreon, and resolves that he and John should stay authentic even if less relatable. (00:00:50)
    • Why it is here: A candid argument about creator economics and fairness on YouTube, including Hank's own advantages.
  • 2016-02-16 · John · Kindness · Personal life, letter vlog
    • From a beach vacation John recommends Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and, through two of its lines, thanks Hank for his positive obsession and consoles him that Lemon is dying, arguing that kindness eases change and can undo the world's zero-sum arithmetic. (00:02:14)
    • Why it is here: A carefully built essay: two quoted lines structure a thank-you to Hank and a claim about kindness, with a substantive book recommendation.
  • 2016-02-19 · Hank · Thanks, Lemon · Personal life, letter vlog
    • Hank tells John his greyhound Lemon has died of osteosarcoma and, while insisting she was just another dog, argues that she mattered to him and taught him that feeling valued depends more on how you think of others than on how others think of you. (00:01:26)
    • Why it is here: A grief essay whose plain-spoken claims about mattering, value and rescue are carefully argued.
  • 2016-02-23 · John · How Energy and Time Change Everything · Global development, explainer
    • Drawing on the 2016 Gates annual letter, John argues that energy drove the collapse of child mortality, that bringing energy to 1.3 billion people while cutting carbon emissions is the century's big question, and that women's unpaid work limits growth and must be recognized, reduced and redistributed. (00:00:05)
    • Why it is here: A dense, sourced argument with many figures on child mortality, energy access and unpaid work, ending in a stated view about the century's biggest challenges.
  • 2016-03-04 · Hank · Startling Facts About the Government that Made Me Feel Good · US politics & society, explainer
    • Against the image of a bloated, inefficient bureaucracy, Hank argues the US federal government is effective, efficient and surprisingly small: its workforce has not grown in 50 years, state and local governments employ far more people, and most federal spending goes to Social Security, health programmes, poverty assistance and veterans. (00:00:13)
    • Why it is here: A numbers-driven argument about the size and spending of government; the specific figures and the claim that rising costs come from demographics and health care, not bureaucracy, carry the video.
  • 2016-03-08 · John · Aida and Majeeda: Thoughts from the Azraq Refugee Camp · Global development, documentary visit
    • Back from northern Jordan with UNHCR, John marks International Women's Day by telling the story of Syrian sisters Aida (10) and Majeeda (12), newly arrived at the Azraq camp and longing above all for school, and argues that refugees are not a lost generation: we must support UNHCR and fight their dehumanization. (00:03:19)
    • Why it is here: Sincere, carefully argued advocacy: the refugees' wish for education, the facts on underfunding and unpaid work, and the call to see refugees' full humanity are the substance.
  • 2016-03-11 · Hank · The Politics of "Parks and Rec" · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • Using Parks and Rec's Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson, who disagree on almost everything yet respect each other as good people, Hank argues that today's US discourse makes political disagreement feel like an attack on identity, and wishes Americans could care passionately without demonizing opponents. (00:02:14)
    • Why it is here: A sincere essay on respect across political difference; the reading of the show serves an argument about polarization, identity and demonization.
  • 2016-03-18 · Hank · Brazil's Government is Falling Apart...and it's Good News? · World affairs, explainer
    • Hank explains Brazil's political crisis (the Petrobras kickback scandal, recession, an unpopular President Rousseff, Judge Moro and social-media polarization) and argues it is bad short-term but good long-term, with Brazil's culture of peaceful evolution as good news. (00:09:31)
    • Why it is here: A dense news explainer with many checkable claims (figures, history, actors) and an argued conclusion about long-term consequences and polarization.
  • 2016-03-22 · John · Understanding the Primaries: Delegates, Democracy, and America's Nonstop Political Party · US politics & society, explainer
    • John uses Missouri's 2016 primaries to argue that the parties' delegate rules (superdelegates, proportional and winner-take-all rules, equal delegates for lopsided districts) make presidential nominations far from straightforwardly democratic. (00:00:59)
    • Why it is here: A numbers-dense argument about how delegates, superdelegates and redistricting weight votes unequally, ending with a general claim about political parties and democracy.
    • Replies to: 2016-03-18 Brazil's Government is Falling Apart...and it's Good News?
  • 2016-04-05 · John · What's Wrong with Monopoly? · Economics, recommendation
    • John reviews the Monopoly mobile app as a terrible game and argues that Monopoly's real history, invented by Elizabeth Magie and improved by a community but credited to Charles Darrow, is a story of capitalism failing rather than working. (00:01:23)
    • Why it is here: A comic game review frames a substantive argument about who gets credit and reward under capitalism, built on a checkable origin story.
  • 2016-04-12 · John · On the Banning of Looking for Alaska · Books & writing, letter vlog
    • After the ALA names Looking for Alaska the most challenged book of 2015, John argues that challengers read one page out of context, that teenagers are thoughtful readers, that teachers and librarians (not authors or a few parents) should decide, and that books do not corrupt. (00:00:46)
    • Why it is here: A sustained, carefully argued case against book challenges, with claims about context, teen readers, the purpose of public education and what books do.
  • 2016-04-19 · John · Literally Hitler · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • John argues that Hitler comparisons and insults in the 2016 campaign are inaccurate and counterproductive: the US is not in mortal peril, there was never a golden age, and name-calling pushes people out of policy debate; he and Hank will next examine the candidates' tax plans. (00:00:48)
    • Why it is here: A structured argument backed by statistics on the US economy, history and the campaign's insults, ending with a concrete plan for policy videos.
  • 2016-04-22 · Hank · Clinton vs. Sanders: POLICY IS EXCITING! · US politics & society, explainer
    • Hank lays out the tax plans of Hillary Clinton (keep the code roughly the same, add a top bracket) and Bernie Sanders (raise taxes across the board, mostly to fund single-payer health care), explaining brackets, payroll and capital gains taxes, and concludes that he does not know which plan is best. (00:05:28)
    • Why it is here: A careful, number-heavy policy comparison with an explicit argument for admitting uncertainty about the plans' effects.
  • 2016-04-26 · John · Understanding the Tax Plans of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz · US politics & society, explainer
    • John explains the current US income tax system and the tax plans of Ted Cruz (flat 10% rate, a business VAT) and Donald Trump (four brackets, lower corporate rates), and argues that both cut taxes most for the rich, would sharply raise deficits, and are infeasible without reimagining government's role. (00:06:55)
    • Why it is here: A dense, number-heavy policy comparison with an explicit conclusion about feasibility and the candidates' lack of explanation.
    • Replies to: 2016-04-22 Clinton vs. Sanders: POLICY IS EXCITING!
  • 2016-05-10 · John · On Pain · Health, letter vlog
    • From the dentist, John recounts the 13 years of chronic mouth pain that followed a bike messenger hitting his face in Chicago, and argues that physical pain is unshareable and isolating, yet knowing pain can make people more empathetic, and listening to and believing people in pain can be good medicine. (00:01:18)
    • Why it is here: A carefully argued essay on the unshareability of pain and its link to empathy, grounded in John's own chronic pain.
  • 2016-05-17 · John · A Brief History of the Non-Denial Denial · US politics & society, explainer
    • John traces the 'non-denial denial' in American politics from Nixon's press secretary through John Edwards, Bill Clinton, John Brennan and Chris Christie, and argues that voters in an election season should ask what exactly politicians are denying. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: The argument rests on the exact wording of quoted denials and on John's claim that precise language (what is denied, what 'false' means) is what voters must scrutinise.
  • 2016-06-03 · Hank · Redefining What it Means to Matter · Philosophy & meaning, letter vlog
    • Hank argues that culture's measures of mattering (salary, fame, money, singular heroes) are scarce and misleading; people matter because they make life better for others now and in the future, as part of humanity's shared labor. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: A tightly argued essay on meaning, work and the myth of the singular hero; the wording carries the argument.
  • 2016-06-07 · John · Zaatari: Thoughts from a Refugee Camp · Global development, documentary visit
    • John recounts his visit to Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp, where refugees told him their worst struggle is being dehumanized, and argues that human nature is not a fixed force but something we create by how we treat each other. (00:02:40)
    • Why it is here: First-hand accounts of refugee children's schooling and war trauma, the claim that refugees feel dehumanized, and John's closing argument about human nature and 'us and them'.
  • 2016-06-17 · Hank · Hey, Let's Change Some Things · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • Hank gives viewers homework: within 24 hours, write a letter to someone who represents them in government. He explains how to write an effective one, shares his own requests for an assault-rifle ban and CDC gun research, and argues that letters create more change than shouting online. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: A concrete civic practice argued with reasons: handwritten letters show constituents care, and venting online among people who agree changes little.
  • 2016-06-21 · John · Syrian Refugees in the United States: One Family's Story · US politics & society, story
    • For World Refugee Day, John tells the story of Syrian refugees Mufak, Nada and their five children, whom he met in Jordan and visited after their resettlement in Rockford, Illinois. He argues the US is lucky to have them: refugees come to be protected by the law, and America has always contained multitudes. (00:01:58)
    • Why it is here: A reported family story used to argue against framing refugees as threats, backed by facts about Muslim Americans and a closing parallel with an Italian-American.
  • 2016-07-05 · John · The Horizon Line · Philosophy & meaning, letter vlog
    • On vacation by a Great Lake in Michigan, John reflects on the horizon: once he thought life meant chasing it and saw his return to Indianapolis, the city his father fled, as failure; now he is content to watch it from the middle and thinks he underrated happiness and observing. (00:01:56)
    • Why it is here: A short, carefully argued Thoughts from Places essay on ambition, home and contentment.
  • 2016-07-08 · Hank · Your Illness is Not Your Fault · Health, letter vlog
    • Still sick, Hank says that years of unsolicited cures for his ulcerative colitis make even ordinary advice sound like 'your illness is your fault'; chronic illness is random chance, he has accepted it, and supporters should recognise sick people's self-blame. (00:00:29)
    • Why it is here: A sincere argument about blame and chronic illness, with a clear point (illness is random chance; easy-cure advice implies fault) and practical guidance for supporting sick people.
  • 2016-07-12 · John · Our Capacity for Wonder: A Review · Philosophy & meaning, recommendation
    • John 'reviews' humans' capacity for wonder: Fitzgerald's Gatsby line is beautiful but wrong, since a leaf his toddler son Henry noticed showed that wonder depends on attention, not on what we see; he gives it 10 out of 10. (00:01:53)
    • Why it is here: A compact literary essay with a clear argument (beautiful lines are not always true; wonder is about attentiveness) built from Gatsby, Anna Karenina, Hurston, Vonnegut and a story about Henry.
    • Replies to: 2016-07-05 The Horizon Line
  • 2016-07-15 · Hank · On Lives and Mattering · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • After Christina Grimmie's murder and the Dallas police shootings, Hank reflects on feeling one's body is frail, notes that black Americans live with that fear their whole lives, cites research on unequal policing and sentencing, and says Black Lives Matter names a deep belief that black lives matter less; he asks viewers simply to listen. (00:00:58)
    • Why it is here: A carefully argued statement on race and policing with research claims, a definition of what 'Black Lives Matter' is about, and a call to listen.
  • 2016-07-19 · John · Pretty Bad Ways to Start a Conversation · Internet & YouTube, letter vlog
    • Using a Kanye West lyric from 'Power', John argues that name-calling, a vague 'they', gotchas and outrage are bad ways to start conversations that still work because hostility gets answered with hostility; he admits his own unsupported gun statistic, praises Hank's plus-sign reply trick, and asks viewers for more ideas. (00:01:04)
    • Why it is here: A carefully argued essay on online discourse with a self-correction, a research claim and a concrete community practice.
    • Replies to: 2016-07-15 On Lives and Mattering
  • 2016-07-22 · Hank · Ending the Age of Outrage (at least in ourselves, if not in the world) · Internet & YouTube, letter vlog
    • Hank argues we have entered an age of outrage because the first age of the social internet rewards angering content regardless of truth; internet communities need conscious leadership and engaged citizens, and he points to plussing, a kind Nerdfighteria and VidCon's Pulse fundraiser as signs of a coming better age. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: A sustained argument about online community health with a research claim, a prediction and concrete community examples.
  • 2016-08-05 · Hank · Our Massive Project: How to Vote in Every State · US politics & society, announcement
    • Hank launches How to Vote in Every State, a 54-video guide to registering, getting a sample ballot and voting in each state, and argues that not voting is no protest: local elections are often decided by one vote and democracy needs participation. (00:00:28)
    • Why it is here: An argued civic case for voting (one vote, local government, electorate) plus concrete launch information about the 54-video project.
  • 2016-08-09 · John · Why I Didn't Vote (And Six Reasons You Might Not) · US politics & society, list
    • Responding to the six most common reasons Twitter non-voters gave, John argues each is a poor reason not to vote, recounts failing to register in 2000 as one of the great shames of his life, and asks eligible Americans to become registered, informed voters. (00:00:13)
    • Why it is here: Six argued rebuttals with checkable claims (turnout 57.5% vs 99% of millionaires, ballot rules, rides to the polls) and a candid personal confession.
    • Replies to: 2016-08-05 Our Massive Project: How to Vote in Every State
  • 2016-08-16 · John · Some Good News: 16 Ways 2016 Is Not a Total Dumpster Fire · Global development, list
    • John argues that although 2016 has been something of a dumpster fire, slow-moving good news abounds (falling child mortality, disease, conflict deaths and poverty, rising literacy), so hope is not misguided. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: A dense list of checkable global-health, conflict, economic and literacy trends framing an argument for hope.
  • 2016-09-02 · Hank · One Scientifically Proven Thing Actually Makes People Happier · Everyday life, explainer
    • Hank argues that one non-obvious, well-supported way to be happier is avoiding a long commute, which studies link to stress, ill health and low life satisfaction, and that cities should allow dense development near jobs, since happiness depends on what we do with our time rather than what we have. (00:00:10)
    • Why it is here: A structured, evidence-backed argument with specific study claims and a policy point about density.
  • 2016-09-20 · John · Failing to Follow Up The Fault in Our Stars · Books & writing, letter vlog
    • Continuing Hank's discussion of failure, John explains that no novel has followed The Fault in Our Stars because its public success coincided with private failures: two abandoned books, intense pressure and writing that stopped being a release; he returned to writing for fun and has become okay with not knowing whether he will publish again. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: A candid, carefully argued account of creative failure after success, rejecting the usual triumph-after-failure arc.
  • 2016-09-23 · Hank · How do YouTubers Make Money? · Internet & YouTube, explainer
    • Starting from a reporter's question at the first VidCon, Hank explains how YouTubers make money (AdSense, brand deals, YouTube grants, LA gigs, touring, licensing, own platforms, Patreon), argues that different content needs different monetization and that it has become harder, and presents the Internet Creators Guild he started. (00:00:41)
    • Why it is here: A substantive insider explainer of creator economics with a clear argued point and an announced institution.
  • 2016-10-07 · Hank · Changing Our Business a Bit · Projects, announcement
    • Hank reflects that ten years and 1,400 videos of public experiments made him a kinder person and showed that imagining others and the world complexly is what the brothers do, so their production company, until now EcoGeek, is renamed Complexly. (00:01:27)
    • Why it is here: Hank states the guiding idea behind all the brothers' content and names their company after it, with an explicit mission statement.
  • 2016-10-11 · John · Understanding Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's Tax Plans · US politics & society, explainer
    • John explains the current US federal income tax system with three hypothetical families, then argues Clinton's plan raises taxes mainly on the wealthiest while Trump's cuts them mostly for the wealthiest and would add far more to the national debt, since tax cuts do not pay for themselves. (00:02:51)
    • Why it is here: A dense, number-heavy policy comparison with explicit verdicts (Trump's debate claim untrue; tax cuts do not pay for themselves; Trump's plan does neither of the things serious Republican plans do).
    • Replies to: 2016-04-26 Understanding the Tax Plans of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz
  • 2016-10-14 · Hank · Compassion, Weakness, and the 2016 Election · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • Hank argues that the rising nationalist rhetoric of the 2016 election rests on the false idea that strength is control and compassion is weakness; he says compassion is the ultimate manifestation of strength and fear-mongering is weakness. (00:00:18)
    • Why it is here: A sincere argued essay with a clear thesis ('Compassion is the ultimate manifestation of strength') and pointed claims about political rhetoric.
    • Replies to: 2016-10-11 Understanding Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's Tax Plans
  • 2016-10-18 · John · Understanding Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's Health Care Reform Proposals · US politics & society, explainer
    • John explains the pre-ACA US health system and what the ACA did and did not fix, then, using RAND's analysis, says Trump's plan would insure fewer people at higher out-of-pocket cost while Clinton's would insure more but raise the deficit more; neither would likely cut overall costs. (00:03:50)
    • Why it is here: A dense, number-heavy policy comparison of the 2016 candidates' health plans with explicit verdicts (the ACA is not why costs are high; neither plan will likely cut overall costs; no simple solutions).
    • Replies to: 2016-10-11 Understanding Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's Tax Plans
  • 2016-10-25 · John · Will the U.S. Presidential Election Be Rigged? · US politics & society, explainer
    • John argues the 2016 US presidential election will not be rigged: the decentralized electoral system resists fraud, the disputed 2004 Ohio result was not stolen, voter suppression is real but voter fraud is not, and a candidate's rigging claims are lies that erode trust in elections. (00:01:25)
    • Why it is here: A fact-dense argument separating voter suppression from fraud, with many checkable numbers and a sharp claim about a candidate's lies.
  • 2016-11-09 · John · My Post-Election Thoughts · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • The day after Donald Trump won the 2016 US presidential election, John acknowledges the fear his attacks caused, apologizes for hateful discourse and sealed echo chambers (Nerdfighteria included), and argues that citizens must hold leaders answerable and that hope, the founding emotion of our species, is not naive. (00:01:38)
    • Why it is here: A sincere, argued post-election essay with clear positions on echo chambers, the social internet, civic duty and hope.
  • 2016-11-11 · Hannah Hart · The Trouble with Wishful Thinking · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • Filling in for Hank after Trump's election, Hannah Hart argues that wishful thinking (doing less and still expecting what you want) helped bring the result, including the 46% who didn't vote, and urges viewers to have uncomfortable political conversations with family and non-voting friends now. (00:00:52)
    • Why it is here: An argued call to action with a clear thesis about wishful thinking and civic responsibility.
  • 2016-12-02 · Rosianna Halse Rojas · Logging Off · Internet & YouTube, letter vlog
    • Guest host Rosianna Halse Rojas, filling in during Hank's paternity leave, describes logging off the social internet and argues that the internet is not intrinsically good or bad but unfinished infrastructure made of people that we keep building; she wonders whether platforms like Twitter were a shortcut that skipped the long hard work, and admits she doesn't know. (00:00:26)
    • Why it is here: An argued personal essay on how to relate to the internet (tool vs identity, unfinished infrastructure, intentional logging off), built on cited sources and ending in open uncertainty.
  • 2016-12-09 · John · The Difference A Decade Makes: The 10th Annual Project for Awesome Is Here! · Global development, announcement
    • Opening the 10th Project for Awesome, John shows what Partners In Health and Save the Children do by looking at a decade of progress in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and the world, then, since statistics can be a barrier to empathy, tells how Save the Children reunited a South Sudanese refugee mother with her daughters; little successes are not little when they're yours. (00:00:29)
    • Why it is here: An argued fundraising essay: concrete decade-on-decade health and poverty numbers, an explicit point about statistics and empathy, and the case that donations add up to a larger success.
  • 2016-12-20 · John · How Giraffes Mate, and Why It Matters · Science & nature, explainer
    • Prompted by a tweet missing their giraffe-sex videos, John explains how inefficiently giraffes mate, why their falling populations struggle to recover, and argues that whether giraffes and the planet's biodiversity survive the Anthropocene is a human choice. (00:01:50)
    • Why it is here: Built on many checkable numbers (mating, population decline, biomass) and an explicit argument about human responsibility for biodiversity.
  • 2016-12-30 · Hank · The Most Interesting Thing I've Ever Done · Nerdfighteria, letter vlog
    • Two days before vlogbrothers turns ten, Hank says that of everything he has done, he is proudest of the community: as traditional community structures give way to individualism, Nerdfighteria, led by its members more than by the brothers, is a rare model for building community in an internet-based, hyper-individualized world. (00:00:27)
    • Why it is here: A sustained argument about individualism, the loss of community structures and Nerdfighteria as a model, with a self-imposed punishment and a NerdCon ask at the end.

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